What do you seek?

Water-Ancestors abound in this collection. They seek buoyancy, they gather, they come to be collected. Through different geographies, through different lands, across black and red seas. They are many; we are many, and we are one. Everywhere we go, smelling of fire, and war. Every land we see, shows up with teeth first. With fire first. With water first. Our drowning - many at a time. So, this collection asks, what do you seek? It is not of this world, it is not just yours. You are many, and the many have come to tell their stories. These pages contain some of them, but many remain unsaid, still uncollected.

Need to know more?

Read the title poem here: Nomenclatures of Invisibility

Here, Mahtem talks about the process of writing this collection; the arduous waiting, the constant grieving, the gathering afterwards.

Here she talks about naming, nomenclatures and the universality of the immigrant experience.

Here, she shared some of places she visited while writing the collection; cities filled with bodies of water - Los Angeles, London, Rome, Istanbul, Shanghai, Dubai, Seoul, Addis.

Over at Poets & Writers, Mahtem recommends how to write poetry: in a total state of surrender.

Read a new except: two poems at Brittle Paper.

Seed, shift, exodus: here is Nomenclatures on Best Poetry List at Ms. Magazine.

Also Nomenclatures on BuzzFeed News with Amazing Books You Need to Read ASAP.

To request review copies, please contact BOA Editions Ltd.

To interview Mahtem, or for other media inquiries, use the contact form.